To inform the development of our TIDAL programme, we wanted to find out about
Development Educator views on the importance of Values and Emotions for active global
citizenship. We asked them the following, and here is a selection of responses!
VALUES
What values do you believe lie at the
heart of development/global
education?
Do you feel confident about how
to practically cultivate these
values in participants/young
people?
Have you ever thought of these
values as a tangible skill that
people can be trained to apply?
Respect for our common humanity and
our place on the planet
No. I feel I am able to share my
knowledge and awareness of global
issues with people of all ages (not
young children), and I feel that
creating awareness is the first step.
However, how to move form
awareness to action is a real challenge
I would love to think this is something
that could be developed more. I do
consider that these skills are within the
potentiality of all of us, and can be
nurtured and cultivated. I think that we
need to re-evaluate our priorities as a
society and promote these skills.
Partly - in some aspects but certainly
not all. I feel able to pose certain
questions and get people to think in
ways which are perhaps new to them.
I worry about how overwhelming
reflecting on global injustice issues
can be and how disempowering this
can be without sufficient input and
support
I thought that values were something
we developed throughout our life, but I
thought they’ve been influenced
through various factors including family,
religion etc. I’m not sure if we can teach
them like a skill, however if we can
teach religious values through school
and church then it must be possible?
I’m undecided!
I feel confident working with people,
drawing on the tacit knowledge and
skills that they have and facilitating
them in directing these more actively
in their communities. However, this is
something that I am constantly trying
to hone and improve through my own
learning and experience
I think that we as educators/adults
working with young people, we have to
work all the time at cultivating these
values in ourselves...we have to live
them as best we can and express them
when working with the young. Just
giving content or telling them what to
do or how they should be is not enough
I don’t know if we can ‘teach’ young
people to have a certain value but I do
think that we have an opportunity to
allow them to explore what that value
is and what it looks like in their life. I
feel confident that if we demonstrate
certain qualities like fairness and
justice then young people will have
an idea of how that can be present in
their own value base
It is partly how we relate to them and
demonstrates the values as it were...set
up a learning, experiential situation that
expresses the values. It goes back to the
old adage of 'caught' not 'taught'. There
are of course methods that can be
taught...such as non-violent
communication/living, exercises on fairplay and justice etc...but unless aligned
with a learning environment that
manifests them, and educators that put
them into practice...the education is
compromised
Appreciation of diversity
Understanding of human rights principles
Curiosity and Hopefulness
Belief in potential for positive change and
desire to change
Open- mindedness
Willingness to consider different
perspectives
Values of common purpose (locally,
nationally globally), personal and
community, agency and empowerment,
need for social justice, and inspiration to
become actively involved
Justice and fairness, equality,
inclusiveness, belief in humanity
A sense of connection and responsibility
to upholding and fighting for human
rights
Justice....Environmental and Human,
Solidarity, Non-violence, Equality,
empathy, love.
Equality and respect for all
Capacity for change and belief in the
possibility for change
I have some confidence in this area
yes, but I also know that I have an
awful lot to learn
Emotions
Do you think
emotions are
connected to active
citizenship?
Which emotions, if any, drive you
as a development/global
educator?
Which emotions, if any, do you
feel are necessary to activate
for a response to global
injustices?
Absolutely – they
provoke a reaction that
can/will lead to action
Hope and optimism, anger and
despair (conversely)
Hope and optimism, anger and
despair (conversely)
Incredulity at what we do to fellow
humans for money
Incredulity at what we do to fellow
humans for money
Hope, wonder, awe, anger, sense of
achievement- amazement at what
people can do, can put up with,
compassion
Hope, wonder, awe, anger, sense
of achievement- amazement at
what people can do, can put up
with, compassion
Optimism, hope, compassion,
admiration, enthusiasm,
appreciation, connectivity, empathy,
interest, openness, creativity,
outrage, desire for justice and
equality
Optimism, hope, compassion,
admiration, enthusiasm,
appreciation, connectivity,
empathy, interest, openness,
creativity, outrage, desire for
justice and equality, motivation
To some degree- anger, happiness,
confusion, love, etc. - If I was being
honest I would say anger is probably
the most dominant emotion as its
linked to my value of justice and
fairness- when people aren’t being
treated fairly, it makes me angry and
I want to act on it
Whilst I mentioned anger in the
other response, I genuinely believe
that love/care is just as important.
Ultimately (and very utopian!) if
everyone cared for each-other and
had compassion surely greed and
consumerism would not be such an
issue and people would connect to
the world and not think of an ‘us
and them’ mentality which can be
present and heightened by mass
media
I feel these are the key.
Any training I do I try
and make people ‘feel’
what it is
Yes, definitely!
Very much so... I think
sometimes we can
‘tune out’ of the
emotion but I think it is
present; we just need
to learn to be aware of
it
When we connect
emotionally to an issue,
the passion for the
issue grows; therefore
our emotion (whether
positive or negative)
will dictate what action
we take next. (i.e. if I’m
feeling overwhelmed by
something I may not
feel able to take action)
Yes I do. In order to
experience active
citizenship we have to
engage with and
explore issues, which
cannot be isolated from
emotions.
I think that yes,
emotions can be
connected to active
citizenship
Sense of justice, fairness, passion,
empathy, enthusiasm, inspiration,
hope, reconciliation and wanting to
make a difference
I find it difficult to separate out my
values and emotions...I suppose
sadness, sometimes outrage, at
injustice and suffering. Is optimism a
value or an emotion or something
else? But whatever it is...optimism
that together we can make things
better, optimism and hope
I am driven by concern and
frustration around people (not least
young people) being kept in the dark
about the challenges to the future of
life on the planet. The political and
economic establishment must surely
be aware of them, but media largely
colludes with them in a massive
cover-up
Sense of justice, fairness, passion,
empathy, enthusiasm, inspiration,
hope, reconciliation and wanting to
make a difference
The evidence that life is under
threat from human beings can
induce resignation, despair and
hopelessness. So along with a
concern that truth be told I believe
it is important to cultivate hope.
Hope for me is not the same thing
as optimism – which so often
flounders in the face of realities.
Hope is a belief that change is
possible. It is doing things because
they are the right thing to do and
not based on evidence of success.
Do you feel confident
on how to go about
helping young people
understand and
manage the human
emotions involved in
being a global citizen?
No, Not Yet!
I try in my training to
initiate emotions but the
danger is’ what next?’ I
believe it is no good – in
fact it can be damaging to stir hope or anger in
participants for example
in discussing injustice
without providing the
tools and capacity to act
for change in whatever
format
Working with people’s
emotions requires careful
and respectful handling,
and whilst I would feel
confident, I am aware
that I am always able to
improve upon this.
I think that I have skills
and experience with
which to try....but again, I
have an awful lot to
learn…even about
managing my own
emotions around global
justice issues!
Education should equip
(young) people with the
capacity to understand
and manage the human
emotions involved in
LIVING. Our schooling
system is not that kind of
education, and as such is
a deficient vehicle for
providing education
whether for living or
citizenship. But it is what
we have – and creative
approaches to ‘glocal’
citizenship education can
be a catalyst for
educational change